


Like an Old Married Couple

by plumeria47



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: M/M, POV Outsider, Pre-Slash, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2020-06-09 18:03:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19481155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plumeria47/pseuds/plumeria47
Summary: When an outside detective comes to Five-O for a few days, she gets an eyeful of Steve and Danny's relationship.What do you mean, they're not in a relationship?





	Like an Old Married Couple

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the discussion of outsider POV at the Dreamwidth writing community [ushobwri](https://ushobwri.dreamwidth.org/). My first time writing H50 and unbetaed, sorry for mistakes.

Detective Kaulana Watanabe watched the two _haole_ men walk away, amiably continuing the argument they'd been engrossed in just before she'd been introduced to them. Given that she had just hopped over from Kauai for a few days in order to make use of the better investigative tech they had at Five-O than at her own rural department, she had no idea what was going on with those guys, but they didn't look seriously upset, despite the volume and accusatory gestures that accompanied their argument. In fact, if she hadn't known any better, she'd say there was something much deeper than a professional - or even personal - exchange going on, given how close they were standing, how much incidental touching was going on - a bicep grab here, a mild head slap there.

"What's their story?" Kaulana asked, nodding toward the only other woman in the department - _Kono_ , she recalled belatedly.

"Who, Steve and Danny?" Kono smiled and shook her head. "They're always like that. Don't let it throw you, though," she assured Kaulana. "They're an amazing team and they get the job done, despite fighting like an old married couple all day long."

"So they're _not_ an old married couple?" Kaulana asked, eyebrow raised.

"Not as far as we can tell," said an Asian man who had just entered the room. He stuck out a hand. "Hi, I'm Chin."

Kaulana introduced herself as she returned his handshake. "Sorry to imply something was going on with your teammates," she said. "I just don't usually see two people that closely ... engaged. Especially two men."

"No worries," Chin said, taking a seat. "We see it, too."

"Every damn day," Kono chimed in.

Kaulana gave a small snort of amusement at their exasperation, then set it aside. She was here to work, so she'd better get to it.

<*>

On her last night in town, the Five-O team invited her to join them for drinks at a local bar. But after three days of watching Steve and Danny bicker, express a crazy amount of concern for each other as they prepared to head out on a job, and otherwise seem attached at the hip, she found herself nonetheless surprised by how much their demeanor changed once they were off the clock. The five of them sat at the bar as the place was crowded and tables for five were in short supply, with Steve and Danny at the opposite end, Kono and Chin sandwiched in the middle between them and herself. She found it difficult to look away as Steve - the taller one - casually slung his arm around Danny's shoulders and, to her even greater surprise, watched Danny actually _lean in_ to Steve's touch. The other three of them might almost not even have been there, for all that there was some friendly banter amongst all of them. The two men seemed to be taking their partnership to levels unheard of, so wrapped were they in each other's jokes, faces, and physical contact.

She leaned in to murmur, "Are you SURE they're not together, and just hiding it from you guys?"

Kono shrugged. "I suppose it's possible," she said. "But, more likely, I think they have feelings and just haven't realized it themselves, yet."

"How long has it been going on?" Kaulana asked. 

"Years," Kono and Chin said in unison, causing Steve and Danny to suddenly look over in curiosity. Chin waved them off, and they returned to their own conversation.

" _Years?_ " Kaulana hissed. She could hardly believe it. 

"Years," Chin confirmed in a low voice, rolling his eyes.

"Well," Kaulana said, after a moment, digging through her purse to pay her tab. "I've got to get back to my hotel and pack up." She nodded at the Five-O team. "It's been great to meet you. Thanks for letting me use your equipment to solve my case." And to Kono and Chin, she whispered, "Good luck with them."

Kono flicked her gaze over to the two men in question; Danny had thrown his head back and was laughing his ass off at something, while Steve gazed at him in unabashed fondness. Kaulana practically expected him to lean in and kiss Danny at any second.

"Thanks," Chin said with a sigh. "We're gonna need it."

**Author's Note:**

> The author will love you just as much as Steve and Danny clearly love each other if you leave a comment! Concrit is fine, too - just be polite. :-)


End file.
